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Wichita State Basketball: Ranking Shockers 2019-20 non-conference opponents

By Tristan Freeman

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 19: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers reacts in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 19, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 19: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers reacts in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 19, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Devontae Shuler #2 of the Mississippi Rebels kneels after slipping out of bounds in the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Devontae Shuler #2 of the Mississippi Rebels kneels after slipping out of bounds in the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

4. Oklahoma Sooners

2018-19 record: 20-14 (7-11)

Wichita State shot just 24% in last years 32-point loss to the Sooners and hopes to not only get revenge against them as a team but also now that former Shocker guard Austin Reaves is with them as well and will be on the court in an OU uniform. Oklahoma will look different without leading scorer Christian James along with several role players. Four-star freshman point guard DeVion Harmon is a star in the making and head coach Lon Kruger is known for overachieving with the Sooners. Based on last year’s results, this might be the most important non-conference game for Wichita State.

3. Ole Miss Rebels

2018-19 record: 20-13 (10-8)

Although the Rebels best player is gone in Terence Davis, leading scorer Breein Tyree (17.9 ppg) will be. He’s an All-SEC performer who along with breakout candidate Devontae Shuler should keep Ole Miss in the top half of the league. The best thing that happened this offseason was the pickup of top JUCO center transfer Khadim Sy. He fills a huge frontcourt need for the Rebels and has massive upside, evident by his earlier stint with Virginia Tech. This could end up being a really good win from the SEC/AAC Challenge for Wichita at home.

2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (A)

2018-19 record: 12-20 (5-13)

The lone true away game on this list, the Cowboys will be a tough out in Stillwater. They bring back the top five scorers from a year ago, including sharpshooters Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa. Isaac Likekele is coming off an impressive offseason playing with the U19 USA national team and a top-25 incoming recruiting class to add to it. They’ll need a go-to scorer to emerge to really be dangerous but Oklahoma State should have good depth next season with a nice balance of experience and talented underclassmen.

1. VCU Rams (Dec 21)

2018-19 record: 25-8 (16-2)

With the exception of Sean Mobley, the Rams return everyone from their 25-win NCAA Tournament team. That includes leading scorer Marcus Evans (13.6 ppg), who should have a huge senior season being fully healthy. VCU isn’t a high-powered offense but they’re elite defensively, ranking in the top-10 in both points allowed and defensive rating. It’s another rematch Wichita State will hope to avenge, losing 70-54 in Richmond last season. The four starters for the Rams who combined to score 58 of those points are all back.

Next. 10 programs poised to have great 2020 recruiting classes. dark

This schedule may not be filled with juggernauts or even guaranteed NCAA Tournament squads but the depth should boost the overall numbers for Wichita State. And with the overall youth on the roster, it’s not an overwhelming opening two months of games. But the Shockers will have to win a majority of these games to set themselves up in a good position to make the Big Dance as well without needing to run through the AAC.